Mónica Ortiz Uribe

The World

Mónica Ortiz Uribe is a public radio reporter based along the U.S./Mexico border. She lives andworks in her hometown of El Paso, Texas as a correspondent for KJZZ in Phoenix. Mónica covers immigration, drug violence and international trade among other subjects. 

Migrants from Central America are seen escorted by US. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials after crossing the border from Mexico to surrender to the officials in El Paso, Texas in this pictured taken from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

In El Paso, a border city grows uneasy over shutdown

The federal government is a major employer in El Paso, one of the largest cities along the US-Mexico border. The shutdown has affected thousands of customs, Border Patrol and drug enforcement agents who are reporting to work without pay.

In El Paso, a border city grows uneasy over shutdown
A man wearing a Santa Claus costume arrives in a pickup truck in El Paso, Texas.

In this Texas border town, Santa patrols on Christmas

In this Texas border town, Santa patrols on Christmas
The vaquita marina is a critically endangered porpoise species that lives only in the northern part of the Gulf of California. Scientists believe the population may be down to just 30 animals.

Adios, vaquita marina? Mexico's 'little sea cow' is being pushed to the edge of extinction.

Adios, vaquita marina? Mexico's 'little sea cow' is being pushed to the edge of extinction.
Mexican singer Juan Gabriel performs at the 10th annual Latin Grammy awards in Las Vegas, Nevada November 5, 2009.

Border fans mourn loss of Mexican superstar Juan Gabriel

Border fans mourn loss of Mexican superstar Juan Gabriel
Astronomer Al Grauer and his wife Annie were instrumental in getting a dark sky sanctuary designation for the Cosmic Campground in New Mexico. The recognition came from the International Dark Sky Association.

A place where the stars are so bright you can see your shadow by starlight

A place where the stars are so bright you can see your shadow by starlight
Mexico is changing its justice system

Mexico's justice system gets an extreme makeover

A study says 98 percent of crimes in Mexico go unsolved. The nation is changing its justice system to try to change that.

Mexico's justice system gets an extreme makeover
Romayne Wheeler's Steinway & Sons grand piano was transported from the city of Guadalajara and now sits inside his home on the edge of a cliff in the Sierra Tarahumara.

This Mexican canyon is alive with the sound of music

In northern Mexico, there's a place called Copper Canyon. It cuts six slits into the Earth and hidden between the cliffs and valleys is where an American concert pianist has decided to settle with his one-ton grand piano.

This Mexican canyon is alive with the sound of music
Brenda Estrada

Workers in Mexico's border factories say they can barely survive, so they're turning to unions

Factory workers in Ciudad Juárez now make only 40 percent of what Chinese factory workers do, on average. For the first time, efforts to unionize are meeting with some limited success.

Workers in Mexico's border factories say they can barely survive, so they're turning to unions
Chef Thierry Marceaux at his restaurant in Las Cruces, New Mexico

This French chef says Katrina changed his life, perhaps for the better

French chef Thierry Marceaux lost his job at a five-star hotel in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit the city. The storm also destroyed his home. So he left the bayou and moved to the desert, and started over.

This French chef says Katrina changed his life, perhaps for the better
maya

How returning home to Mexico gets complicated after years in the US

In this small city in Mexico's Yucatán, the choice between staying near family or earning more in the United States leaves some people restless.

How returning home to Mexico gets complicated after years in the US
Perry_Texas

Sending the Texas National Guard to the border might be money poorly spent

Texas Governor Rick Perry ordered 1,000 National Guard soldiers to the border, saying the deployment is needed to stop cross-border drug smuggling. But the move is getting mixed reviews from locals and law enforcement officials, who argue it's a job for police.

Sending the Texas National Guard to the border might be money poorly spent
Children practice tae kwon do at an after school program in Cuidad Juárez, funded by the Merida Initiative.

How do you fight organized crime in Mexico? With small business loans and after-school programs

For the last six years, a little-known infusion of American tax dollars has played a part in the fight against organized crime in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juárez. Part of the money for the Merida Initiative is used to keep young people out of drug cartels and help boost the economy.

How do you fight organized crime in Mexico? With small business loans and after-school programs
In the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juárez, children visit the new Los Soles study center in the city’s outskirts.

The children of Mexico's drug violence have a tiny haven in Cuidad Juárez

Not long ago, violence related to Mexico's drug cartels devastated Ciudad Juárez, a city on the Texas-Mexico border. Now, violence is down and residents are trying to help the children left behind by it.

The children of Mexico's drug violence have a tiny haven in Cuidad Juárez
A grandson hugs his grandfather after both were apprehended by Border Patrol in Hidalgo, Texas. (Photo: Mónica Ortiz Uribe)

As Illegal Crossings Rise in Texas, a Cat-and-Mouse Game With Border Patrol Intensifies

This story takes us to the banks of the Rio Grande river in South Texas. It's where a cat-and-mouse game plays out every night between migrants crossing into the US illegally and the Border Patrol. That game is intensifying.

As Illegal Crossings Rise in Texas, a Cat-and-Mouse Game With Border Patrol Intensifies
An immigrant ID card from the 1920s and 30s for Rosaura Piñera, who later became a US citizen at age 100.

How amnesty gave a 100-year-old woman a new life in the US

The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 granted amnesty to some three million illegal immigrants already in the country. One of those who benefited was Rosaura Piñera, the great-grandmother of Fronteras reporter Monica Ortiz Uribe.

How amnesty gave a 100-year-old woman a new life in the US